In the effort to understand the link between the structure of galaxy clusters and their galaxy populations, we focus on MACSJ1206.2-0847 at z~0.44 and probe its substructure in the projected phase space through the spectrophotometric properties of a
large number of galaxies from the CLASH-VLT survey. Our analysis is mainly based on an extensive spectroscopic dataset of 445 member galaxies, mostly acquired with VIMOS@VLT as part of our ESO Large Programme, sampling the cluster out to a radius ~2R200 (4 Mpc). We classify 412 galaxies as passive, with strong Hdelta absorption (red and blue galaxies, and with emission lines from weak to very strong. A number of tests for substructure detection are applied to analyze the galaxy distribution in the velocity space, in 2D space, and in 3D projected phase-space. Studied in its entirety, the cluster appears as a large-scale relaxed system with a few secondary, minor overdensities in 2D distribution. We detect no velocity gradients or evidence of deviations in local mean velocities. The main feature is the WNW-ESE elongation. The analysis of galaxy populations per spectral class highlights a more complex scenario. The passive galaxies and red strong Hdelta galaxies trace the cluster center and the WNW-ESE elongated structure. The red strong Hdelta galaxies also mark a secondary, dense peak ~2 Mpc at ESE. The emission line galaxies cluster in several loose structures, mostly outside R200. The observational scenario agrees with MACS J1206.2-0847 having WNW-ESE as the direction of the main cluster accretion, traced by passive galaxies and red strong Hdelta galaxies. The red strong Hdelta galaxies, interpreted as poststarburst galaxies, date a likely important event 1-2 Gyr before the epoch of observation. The emission line galaxies trace a secondary, ongoing infall where groups are accreted along several directions.
We aim to review the internal structure and dynamics of the Abell 1351 cluster, shown to host a radio halo with a quite irregular shape. Our analysis is based on radial velocity data for 135 galaxies obtained at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. We c
ombine galaxy velocities and positions to select 95 cluster galaxy members and analyse the internal dynamics of the whole cluster. We also examine X-ray data retrieved from Chandra and XMM archives. We measure the cluster redshift, <z>=0.325, the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity dispersion, sigma_v~1500 km/s, and the X-ray temperature, kT~9 keV. From both X-ray and optical data independently, we estimate a large cluster mass, in the 1--4 $10^{15}$ M$_odot$ range. We attribute the extremely high value of sigma_v to the bimodality in the velocity distribution. We find evidence of a significant velocity gradient and optical 3D substructure. The X-ray analysis also shows many features in favour of a complex cluster structure, probably supporting an ongoing merger of substructures in Abell 1351. The observational scenario agrees with the presence of two main subclusters in the northern region, each with its brightest galaxy (BCG1 and BCG2), detected as the two most important X-ray substructures with a rest-frame LOS velocity difference of Delta v~2500 km/s (in the rest frame) and probably being in large part aligned with the LOS. We conclude that Abell 1351 is a massive merging cluster. The details of the cluster structure allow us to interpret the quite asymmetric radio halo as a `normal halo plus a southern relic, strongly supporting a previous suggestion based only on inspection of radio and preliminary X-ray data.
We aim at constraining the assembly history of clusters by studying the intra cluster light (ICL) properties, estimating its contribution to the fraction of baryons in stars, f*, and understanding possible systematics/bias using different ICL detecti
on techniques. We developed an automated method, GALtoICL, based on the software GALAPAGOS to obtain a refined version of typical BCG+ICL maps. We applied this method to our test case MACS J1206.2-0847, a massive cluster located at z=0.44, that is part of the CLASH sample. Using deep multi-band SUBARU images, we extracted the surface brightness (SB) profile of the BCG+ICL and we studied the ICL morphology, color, and contribution to f* out to R500. We repeated the same analysis using a different definition of the ICL, SBlimit method, i.e. a SB cut-off level, to compare the results. The most peculiar feature of the ICL in MACS1206 is its asymmetric radial distribution, with an excess in the SE direction and extending towards the 2nd brightest cluster galaxy which is a Post Starburst galaxy. This suggests an interaction between the BCG and this galaxy that dates back to t <= 1.5 Gyr. The BCG+ICL stellar content is 8% of M_(*,500) and the (de-) projected baryon fraction in stars is f*=0.0177 (0.0116), in excellent agreement with recent results. The SBlimit method provides systematically higher ICL fractions and this effect is larger at lower SB limits. This is due to the light from the outer envelopes of member galaxies that contaminate the ICL. Though more time consuming, the GALtoICL method provides safer ICL detections that are almost free of this contamination. This is one of the few ICL study at redshift z > 0.3. At completion, the CLASH/VLT program will allow us to extend this analysis to a statistically significant cluster sample spanning a wide redshift range: 0.2<z<0.6.
This study is part of the FOssil Groups Origin (FOGO) project which aims at carrying out a systematic and multiwavelength study of a large sample of fossil systems. Here we focus on the relation between the optical luminosity (Lopt) and X-ray luminos
ity (Lx). Out of a sample of 28 candidate fossil systems, we consider a sample of 12 systems whose fossil classification has been confirmed by a companion study. They are compared with the complementary sample of 16 systems whose fossil nature is not confirmed and with a subsample of 102 galaxy systems from the RASS-SDSS galaxy cluster survey. Fossil and normal systems span the same redshift range 0<z<0.5 and have the same Lx distribution. For each fossil system, the Lx in the 0.1-2.4 keV band is computed using data from the ROSAT All Sky Survey. For each fossil and normal system we homogeneously compute Lopt in the r-band within the characteristic cluster radius, using data from the SDSS DR7. We sample the Lx-Lopt relation over two orders of magnitude in Lx. Our analysis shows that fossil systems are not statistically distinguishable from the normal systems both through the 2D KS test and the fit of the Lx-Lopt relation. The optical luminosity of the galaxy system does strongly correlate with the X-ray luminosity of the hot gas component, independently of whether the system is fossil or not. We conclude that our results are consistent with the classical merging scenario of the brightest galaxy formed via merger/cannibalism of other group galaxies, with conservation of the optical light. We find no evidence for a peculiar state of the hot intracluster medium.
(Abridged) Fossil systems are group- or cluster-sized objects whose luminosity is dominated by a very massive central galaxy. In the current cold dark matter scenario, these objects formed hierarchically at an early epoch of the Universe and then slo
wly evolved until present day. That is the reason why they are called {it fossils}. We started an extensive observational program to characterize a sample of 34 fossil group candidates spanning a broad range of physical properties. Deep $r-$band images were taken for each candidate and optical spectroscopic observations were obtained for $sim$ 1200 galaxies. This new dataset was completed with SDSS DR7 archival data to obtain robust cluster membership and global properties of each fossil group candidate. For each system, we recomputed the magnitude gaps between the two brightest galaxies ($Delta m_{12}$) and the first and fourth ranked galaxies ($Delta m_{14}$) within 0.5 $R_{{rm 200}}$. We consider fossil systems those with $Delta m_{12} ge 2$ mag or $Delta m_{14} ge 2.5$ mag within the errors. We find that 15 candidates turned out to be fossil systems. Their observational properties agree with those of non-fossil systems. Both follow the same correlations, but fossils are always extreme cases. In particular, they host the brightest central galaxies and the fraction of total galaxy light enclosed in the central galaxy is larger in fossil than in non-fossil systems. Finally, we confirm the existence of genuine fossil clusters. Combining our results with others in the literature, we favor the merging scenario in which fossil systems formed due to mergers of $L^ast$ galaxies. The large magnitude gap is a consequence of the extreme merger ratio within fossil systems and therefore it is an evolutionary effect. Moreover, we suggest that at least one candidate in our sample could represent a transitional fossil stage.
We analyze the dynamical state of Abell 1914, a merging cluster hosting a radio halo, quite unusual for its structure. Our study considers spectroscopic data for 119 galaxies obtained with the Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. We select 89 cluste
r members from spatial and velocity distributions. We also use photometry Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope archives. We compute the mean cluster redshift, <z>=0.168, and the velocity dispersion which shows a high value, sigma_v=1210_{-110}^{+125} km/s. From the 2D analysis we find that Abell 1914 has a NE-SW elongated structure with two galaxy clumps, that mostly merge in the plane of the sky. Our best, but very uncertain estimate of the velocity dispersion of the main system is sigma_v~1000 km/s. We estimate a virial mass M_sys=1.4--2.6 10^{15} h_{70}^{-1} Msun for the whole system. We study the merger through a simple two-body model and find that data are consistent with a bound, outgoing substructure observed just after the core crossing. By studying the 2D distribution of the red galaxies, photometrically selected, we show that Abell 1914 is contained in a rich large scale structure, with two close companion galaxy systems, known to be at z~0.17. The system at SW supports the idea that the cluster is accreting groups from a filament aligned in the NE-SW direction, while that at NW suggests a second direction of the accretion NW-SE. We conclude that Abell 1914 well fits among typical clusters with radio halos. We argue that the unusual radio emission is connected to the complex cluster accretion and suggest that Abell 1914 resembles the well-known nearby merging cluster Abell 754 for its particular observed phenomenology.
The dependence of the luminosity function of cluster galaxies on the evolutionary state of the parent cluster is still an open issue, in particular as concern the formation/evolution of the brightest cluster galaxies. We plan to study the bright part
of the LFs of a sample of very unrelaxed clusters (DARC clusters showing evidence of major, recent mergers) and compare them to a reference sample of relaxed clusters spanning a comparable mass and redshift range. Our analysis is based on the SDSS DR7 photometric data of ten, massive, and X-ray luminous clusters (0.2<z<0.3), always considering physical radii (R_200 or its fractions). We consider r band LFs and use the color-magnitude diagrams (r-i,r) to clean our samples as well to consider separately red and blue galaxies. We find that DARC and relaxed clusters give similar LF parameters and blue fractions. The two samples differ for their content of bright galaxies BGs, M_r<-22.5, since relaxed clusters have fewer BGs, in particular when considering the outer cluster region 0.5R_200<R<R_200 (by a factor two). However, the cumulative light in BGs is similar for relaxed and DARC samples. We conclude that BGs grow in luminosity and decrease in number as the parent clusters grow hierarchically in agreement with the BG formation by merging with other luminous galaxies.
We explore the internal dynamics of Abell 2254, which has been shown to host a very clumpy and irregular radio halo. Our analysis is mainly based on redshift data for 128 galaxies acquired at the TNG. We also use new g,r,i photometric data acquired a
t the INT and (V,i) photometric data available in the Subaru Archive. X-ray data from the XMM-Newton Science Archive are analyzed to study the hot gas component. We estimate the cluster redshift <z>=0.177, a high line-of-sight (LOS) velocity dispersion, sigmaV about 1350 km/s, and X-ray temperature T about 6.4 keV. Both our optical and X-ray analyses reveal a complex dynamical activity. The analysis of the 2D galaxy distribution reveals the presence of two density peaks, one at the East and the other at the West. Using the full 3D information we detect a high LOS velocity (DeltaV about 3000 km/s), low mass group at the position of the 2D eastern peak. For the main system we compute a velocity dispersion sigmaV about 1000-1200 km/s. In the assumption of a bimodal system we estimate a mass M=1.5-2.9 10^15 solar masses.The X-ray morphological analysis confirms that Abell 2254 is a dynamically disturbed cluster. The X-ray isophotes are elongated toward the eastern direction, in agreement with a merger in the post core-crossing phase. A simple bimodal model finds that data are consistent with a bound, outgoing subcluster observed a few fractions of Gyr after the core crossing. However, both optical and X-ray analyses suggest that the main system is, at its time, a non relaxed structure, indicating N-S as a possible direction for a past accretion. We conclude that Abell 2254, for its mass and merging structure, fits well among typical clusters with radio halos. We shortly discuss as the particular irregularity of the radio halo might be linked to the complexity of the Abell 2254 structure.
Diffuse radio emission in galaxy clusters, and their connection with cluster mergers, are still debated. We seek to explore the internal dynamics of the radio halo cluster Abell 545. This cluster is also peculiar for hosting in its center a very brig
ht, red, diffuse intracluster light due to an old, stellar population, so bright to be named as star pile. Our analysis is based on redshift data for 110 galaxies. We identify 95 cluster members and analyze the cluster internal dynamics by combining galaxy velocities and positions. We also use both photometric and X-ray data. We estimate the cluster redshift, z=0.1580, a velocity dispersion of 1200 km/s, and ICM temperature kT_X~8 keV. Our optical and X-ray analyses detect substructures. Optical data reveal three main galaxy clumps (center, NNW, and NE), and possibly a fourth clump at South. There is not a dominant galaxy and the four brightest galaxies avoid the cluster core (>~0.4h distant from the cluster center) and are >~1500 km/s far from the mean cluster velocity. The analysis of the X-ray surface brightness distribution provides us evidence of a disturbed dynamical phase. Located in the star pile region there is the brightest galaxies of the cluster core (CBCG) and a very compact elliptical galaxy. We show that the star pile has a similar redshift to that of the CBCG. Both the star pile and the CBCG are at rest in the cluster rest frame. The emerging picture of Abell 545 is that of a massive, M(R<1.6 h_70^-1 Mpc)=1.1-1.8x10^15 h_70^-1 Msun, very complex cluster with merging occurring along two directions. A545 gives another proof in the favor of the connection between cluster merger and extended, diffuse radio emission. The star pile, likely due to the process of a brightest galaxy forming in the cluster core. A545 represents a textbook cluster where to study the simultaneous formation of a galaxy system and its brightest galaxy.
The connection of cluster mergers with the presence of extended, diffuse radio sources in galaxy clusters is still debated. An interesting case is the rich, merging cluster Abell 520, containing a radio halo. A recent gravitational analysis has shown
in this cluster the presence of a massive dark core suggested to be a possible problem for the current cold dark matter paradigm. We aim to obtain new insights into the internal dynamics of Abell 520 analyzing velocities and positions of member galaxies. Our analysis is based on redshift data for 293 galaxies in the cluster field obtained combining new redshift data for 86 galaxies acquired at the TNG with data obtained by CNOC team and other few data from the literature. We also use new photometric data obtained at the INT telescope. We combine galaxy velocities and positions to select 167 cluster members around z~0.201. We analyze the cluster structure using the weighted gap analysis, the KMM method, the Dressler-Shectman statistics and the analysis of the velocity dispersion profiles. We compare our results with those from X-ray, radio and gravitational lensing analyses. We find that Abell 520 is definitely a very complex system. Our results suggest that we are looking at a cluster forming at the crossing of three filaments of the large scale structure. In particular, we detect a filament aligned with the LOS and projected onto the center of the forming cluster. It might explain the apparent massive dark core shown by gravitational lensing analysis.
